When COVID-19 hit, I was lonely and felt like I wasn’t doing enough educationally and professionally. For years I contemplated about going back to school, I didn’t want to receive my Master’s degree in Journalism, since I was already gaining first hand experience, in the field.
I applied to Pepperdine on the fly in 2021, and didn’t get in. I remember talking with my work bestie about going back to school that summer. We vowed to make it happen and try to change the world in our own ways. Looking back, I don’t think I was fully ready to commit to school at that time, especially mentally.
I started working out faithfully in 2022 and not only did working out make me physically stronger, it strengthened my mind. I learned new things about myself that I never realized, I was never really an athlete but I loved playing beach volleyball and softball in high school. After two years of being in the gym now I can proudly say I love working out. I met an awesome gym buddy who inspired me to invest in myself, I told her I wanted to go back to school. She was very honest and said, “Really? Why? Do whatever you think is best!” She couldn’t see herself going back to school but I dreamed of furthering my knowledge about investing, business management, and executive decisions… even if that meant reading and writing essays.
A couple of friends went back to school when COVID hit, they also inspired me to think about my passions. My coworker also went back to school for her MBA while working full-time. It was awesome seeing her work toward a goal and better herself while working, she was changing before our eyes. Talking to her about her classes made me excited. I talked to another coworker about when he got his MBA and he had went to Pepperdine. He explained how it probably wouldn’t be as useful for me to get the degree especially with the work we do. He also talked about how expensive it was when he went compared to now. He didn’t want me to go into debt, I was looking at a tuition of $103,740.
Still, I was drawn to apply and see what would happen. Especially since, I didn’t have any debt from undergrad. In 2023, I attended an MBA fair and still no university stuck out to me like Pepperdine. Even my dream school USC didn’t spark me the way the staff at Pepperdine did.
Later, I sat in on a marketing class. I liked the campus and the professor was awesome. It seemed perfect for me. It was 15 minutes away from my apartment and classes would be at night. I wanted to expand my world, and make a difference I started looking at the application and asked my boss to write my letter of recommendation.
After I applied, a month later I got the email that I had been accepted while working. I was officially ready to start my journey and get my MBA to make change in the entertainment industry.
Lauren Turner Dunn — Portfolio 